I recently wrote a blog about the digital consumption of WebRTC (Web Real Time Communications) to help the users improve their knowledge of the technology. WebRTC is growing in popularity and businesses are equally supportive of the new functionality.

The emergence of email, phone and instant messaging has facilitated the development of the ‘always-on’ world of today. Video collaboration solutions have strengthened the network further providing users the coveted ability to balance their work and life. For businesses, WebRTC will have a profound impact on the adoption of video and replace ‘do you want to have a quick chat?’ with ‘do you want to connect via video?’. This will not only improve the speed and quality of the business decision-making process but will also transform the way of working in the future – to carve the workplace of the future.

The proliferation of WebRTC is evident through the presence of over 2 billion WebRTC-capable devices. This is expected to increase to 6.5 billion devices by the end of 2015 according to a new piece of research. As the technology industry prepares to ride the wave of this new movement, it is important that vertical industry businesses like manufacturing, finance and the public sector also prepare to move forward. This is so they can continue maintaining their competitive edge in the market.

The initial two to three years will see a smaller scale usage that will be largely based on the pilot project development plans launched to create WebRTC based business applications. During this period companies will have the opportunity to identify and test the business applications that run on this engine. To harness the power of WebRTC, Polycom has developed WebSuite to connect the users based at different locations and using different types of devices so they can enjoy the same full HD video and voice collaboration experience.

One of the business usage examples can be seen within healthcare, where patient consultations – on the proviso that the browser is based on WebRTC – can be delivered speedily, remotely and securely via video should the patient need to attend from home. Users will have to rely on the Unified Communications (UC) solutions provided by the businesses they are connecting to for end-to-end security traversal. However it should be noted that WebRTC audio and video streams are encrypted.

The element of security is of prime importance for content collaboration. Having a secure content sharing workspace is essential for all businesses, be it financial services, public sector, manufacturing or retail. The ability to share, view and annotate content promotes faster decision-making. Until now, only one stream of content could be shared over video. Polycom WebSuite allows multiple streams of content promoting ‘informed’ decision-making and spreading the power of collaboration to more than one user at any given time.

Vertical industries can be one of the main beneficiaries of such a technology, when coupled with enterprise grade UC solutions. They will be able to connect with their customers via web collaboration technology at the touch of a button. If this is the present, imagine the future that WebRTC has the potential to bring tomorrow.